Midnight Sun
by tmomo
Summary: Iruka Umino's move to Konoha, a small, perpetually rainy town, could have been the most boring move he ever made. But once he meets the mysterious and alluring Kakashi Hatake, Iruka's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Yes, this is a Twilight parody.


Second day of KakaIru Week: Books

* * *

**_Midnight Sun_**

* * *

He'd never given much thought to how he would die though he'd had reason enough in the last few months but even if he had, he would not have imagined it like this.

He'd never imagined his last breaths would be pained and wheezing as air struggled to pass through his lungs.

The man looked down at him with a smirk, eyes greedy for more of his pain. Even in the place where rage would have bubbled up, he couldn't help but reflect the smile hovering above. He'd made this decision on his own. This was all of his own doing and he couldn't regret a single thing. He was happy to be laying in a pool of his own blood because it was so much better than the alternative.

Sure, coming to a tiny town in the middle of the forest where it was almost always either raining or cloudy was definitely not on the top of Iruka's bucket list. He'd been living in the desert for so long that he'd forgotten was humidity was like but he soon came to find that Konoha was a beautiful town.

The trees grew so tall, the air was always fresh and dewy. Most important of all though, Konoha had a beautiful boy that went to this very school.

Kakashi Hatake was the chillest and coolest person Iruka had ever known. He usually sat at the front of the class, lost in a book as the teacher droned on. Never once had he been called out for not paying attention because his grades were rumoured to be all perfect scores no matter what class. His hoodies were always up to cover his shimmering grey hair. His jeans were always tight and black. His backpack was always thrown over one shoulder. But coolest of all, he looked at everyone with a calm indifference and stayed in his own lane.

The main reason was because everyone was too scared to talk to him, Iruka realised one day. He was just so cool and icy. He was intimidating but Iruka wasn't scared one bit. The rumours didn't scare him away either. Child of government agents who moved around often or actors who flew around the world, Iruka didn't really care what Kakashi was.

There was one silly, giant piece of gossip that was running around the school. It was apparently brought on by the fact that Kakashi's family were new to town and he apparently resembled a movie character who was all the craze right now. Tall, quiet and mysterious, Mizuki from Midnight Sun was a century-old vampire pretending to lead a normal teenage life and Iruka could see the resemblance. He chuckled about the silly rumours with the others and didn't really ever take them seriously until he got to know Kakashi.

On the second week of school, after everyone had gotten to know him as the kind and friendly sun-warmed kid he liked to be, he made a daring move that put him on the map; Kakashi's map.

At lunch time, in front of everyone, he made a detour from his usual table. Instead, he made a beeline for the one person whose table was otherwise empty.

"Hey," Iruka slid his tray onto the table as the hood snapped up to look at him, dark eyes making him falter for a second but he got back on track. Producing a pen from his own pocket, he held it across the table, leaning on the seats as he asked, "I think this is yours."

Surprised, Kakashi took the pen in his pale hand and looked at it. Iruka took the opportunity to sit and bite on an apple, studying the interesting buy across from him every chance he got.

"I don't think this is mine," Kakashi finally said, handing it back over and Iruka faked disappointment.

"Damn, I thought it was. It was in Mister Choza's class by the front desk so I thought it might be yours. You sit there, right?" Iruka pocketed his pen and smiled even as Kakashi started to show suspicion.

"Yeah," He said cautiously but entertained Iruka's invitation to talk more. "Near the left."

"Exactly, must be someone else's," Iruka felt that he was getting somewhere.

"Probably."

"Hey, have you thought of an idea for the essay?"

Slowly but not reluctantly, Kakashi answered, "Kind of."

"Nice, it looks like he's expecting a lot of citations and stuff so it's probably better to start now while we've got time," Iruka chatted and Kakashi listened, chewing his food slowly in thought.

Ever since then, they'd started eating lunch together until it grew into hanging out during recess too. Then they would walk each other home and hang out after school. They soon became inseparable even though they were complete opposites. Kakashi had even started joining him when he hung out with other friends, sitting in the background reading or sometimes even paying attention. It was laughably like the character from Midnight Sun but oddly endearing, the quiet, introverted book worm whose attention was rare and precious. It made Iruka felt like he was someone special and so unworthy of his attention but it was too addicting to let go.

It was only after a month school started that Iruka realised how he felt. He hid it behind sarcasm and wit, of course, but Kakashi was way too perceptive to ignore the sudden change.

"Iruka."

"Yes?"

"What's going on?"

"Nothing." Iruka got a stare and a raised brow that told him that he wasn't fooling anyone and he desperately tried to hide his own heart away as if it would show on his face.

And Kakashi could see right through him. "Yeah, well, when you figure out what's wrong, you know you can talk to me."

And with that, Kakashi went back to his book, stretching his long legs out as he leaned back against the tree they were sheltered under. Iruka liked how long his legs were.

"What?"

Iruka stiffened, realising he'd said that out loud. He didn't look at Kakashi but he saw the other teen sit up out of the corner of his eye, fully invested now that he'd put his book down.

"I said," Iruka started but lost himself again as Kakashi came in closer, his attention fully and utterly on Iruka with an intensity that was stunning. Iruka could just barely mutter, "I… Like you."

"Like me, huh?" Kakashi was smirking playfully, quirking his stupidly cute beauty mark and making Iruka feel like blubber. "Well, I like you too."

"Oh," Iruka could only say before he came to his senses. "Okay, but like, do you mean like or like-like?"

"Well, which one do you mean?" Kakashi asked right back, their shoulders touching.

"Like-like."

Kakashi grinned, "Then I like-like you too."

Iruka then kissed the living daylights out of him.

That was how they started dating and began the long back and forth that was their relationship. And it was good. God, it was so good. Iruka had never been with someone who made him feel so special while making him feel more than ever like himself. It was so fulfilling as a human being to have someone care about you and want to be with you every second of the day. He was lovestruck hard.

Kakashi held Iruka's hand like he was worth more than gold, shyly and secretly. He took Iruka out to movies but was up for anything, even just sitting on the couch together. And, damn, he could kiss like a god.

The only downside to his sweet boyfriend was that he was too sweet.

Sweet meant that he didn't make moves. Sweet meant that Iruka was always the one pushing them to make out longer and stay out later. Sweet meant that when things got heated, Kakashi would immediately backtrack and insist they calm down.

But his hands were so warm and inviting. Everything about him just drew Iruka in, the way he laughed, the way he glanced at Iruka out of the corner of his eye. Even his smell was one Iruka couldn't get enough of. Just cuddling on the sofa in Iruka's living room was almost enough just to feel him close. Sadly, Iruka didn't have that much patience or inner strength to keep away.

There were other things too that made Iruka wonder. He'd noticed the letters. They were typed and always came from nowhere. Sometimes they popped up in Kakashi's locker and the teen would pretend like his eyes hadn't widened in fear. It worried Iruka that Kakashi didn't say anything about them. He wondered briefly if Kakashi was seeing someone else but put that doubt to rest quickly. Iruka spotted one sticking out of Kakashi's bag one night and snuck a peak when Kakashi was in the bathroom, about to take a picture to read later when he realised that it was only a few lines.

'You can't run forever. Just give up. Or else.' A phone number was scrawled right underneath.

It was a threat.

And Iruka worried even more.

It was after one disappointing but amazing night that Iruka's suspicions started to grow.

"I'll see you later," Kakashi had promised as they parted ways after school.

"I have to study," Iruka replied sadly, kissing him on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Fine," Kakashi muttered back, looking all too satisfied with Iruka's answer. "See you later."

"Later better not mean tonight," Iruka warned as he backed away with a stern eye.

"Later," Kakashi simply repeated, smirking not so secretly as they parted ways.

And to no surprise at all, Iruka heard the soft tapping of a hand on his window that night. Like almost every night before, Iruka slid it open for a breathless Kakashi to crawl through.

"Oh, you actually were studying," Kakashi huffed a surprised chuckle as he looked at the mess of books and papers strew across the bed and desk.

"I was until you came in." Despite his annoyance, Iruka still pushed papers aside enough to make space for Kakashi to sit on the edge of the bed, far from where Iruka had been sitting and far from where he could cause trouble.

But Kakashi didn't sit in that designated space, the spot Iruka assumed he'd want to be in.

No, no, he chose very purposefully to sit in Iruka's spot instead. Over the last two months, Iruka knew Kakashi well enough that he was a deliberate kind of guy. He didn't do anything after thinking it through, he always put his cup down on a coaster if one was available, he never took anyone else's spot. He was predictable to a point.

So, this move was a power move entirely. And Iruka was immediately turned on.

His super hot boyfriend was basically inviting Iruka to come snack on him and Iruka was not going to turn that offer down.

He was though going to make sure this wasn't a dream.

"Kakashi," He said slowly. "That's my spot."

"I know." Kakashi looked very smug that he knew that.

"So, I'll just sit over here instead…"

"Or you can sit right here," Kakashi interrupted. He didn't pat the bed next to him though, he patted his lap.

Iruka's legs almost gave out. What did it mean? Was Kakashi just joking? Wait, were they really doing this? A million doubts ran through his head as he wobbled his way forward but everything was pushed away when a hand grabbed him by the belt loops and forcefully pulled him to the bed's edge.

All Iruka saw before his brain melted was Kakashi's smile and the sensation of being kisses by an angel. After short circuiting for a second, he came back to his heart pounding, arms around Kakashi's neck and his whole bottom half feeling like it was on fire from all the contact it was getting from Kakashi's lap. And when hands snaked up his shirt, he shivered down to the very core and snapped awake from the shock.

The deliciously warm of his boyfriend's hands travelling up his sides had him feeling like he was suffering from dehydration and Kakashi was the fountain of freaking youth. Their kisses grew so much more passionate that their breaths hung just out of reach. Hands and lips kept searching and studying everything they could find. It was only long after his shirt was gone that Iruka realised his pants were gone too. Annoying so, Kakashi still had his sweater on and Iruka could only tear at his shoulders and waist to get any semblance of friction and skin contact.

Hands were on his waist, squeezing and pulling them closer together but it just wasn't enough. It was their slide down into Iruka's underwear that made him lose control of his vocal cords.

Deep and husky, Kakashi groaned back as suddenly the world went upside down but Iruka didn't care. All that mattered was that Kakashi was above him, grinding their hips together like their lives depended on it and Iruka felt very much like he was going to pass out. It was so good and so amazing that when everything suddenly stopped, it felt like a carpet was ripped out from under his feet.

Confused, he looked up to find Kakashi across the room with his forehead pressed to the window. Iruka could hear his breath coming out in pants and he was so confused. It was like he had whiplash and he slowly sat up, feeling cold and so alone suddenly even with his boyfriend in the room.

"Kakashi?" He finally asked.

"You're bleeding," And that was the first hint Iruka ever got that the rumours might have some truth hidden in them.

Touching his face, he found that it came back bloody and stood to check himself in the mirror. Clear as day, a smudge of red across is cheek seemed to be coming from his mouth and he felt around to find his lip punctured.

"Must've happened when we rolled," He mused in a daze but Kakashi said nothing.

Iruka turned to find his boyfriend staring at him, arms crossed and looking like he'd killed a man.

"Kakashi?" Iruka asked again but the older teen pulled open the window.

"Sorry," Were his last words before he was suddenly gone, leaving Iruka half naked and alone. And pissed.

What the heck had been that? What was wrong with Kakashi? Why chicken out at the last second? Iruka had never seen that before… Except, he had.

It felt so familiar and distant at first but he remembered where he'd seen that same thing happened.

The same thing had happened between the main characters of Midnight Sun. The love interest suddenly left one night after the main character got a paper cut. The love interest who was a vampire and had a certain appetite for blood left so that he wouldn't feast on the person he loved.

The first flecks of doubt suddenly started to grow and make Iruka wonder. Why was his boyfriend acting so weird? Did this have to do with the letters? Why now? What was going on? Was his boyfriend a vampire? Were the letters from someone who had found that out and were blackmailing him?

He told himself that it wasn't true. It was absurd. He didn't have anything to confirm or deny though. The entire week, Kakashi avoided him until Iruka cornered him in the school halls when classes finished.

"You can't avoid me forever," Iruka stated, Kakashi looking everywhere but at him.

"I can try," He muttered and Iruka actually felt hurt from that.

"Fine," Iruka sighed as he marched away, holding back all the rage and pain that was building.

"Iruka!" He kept going, already at the door when he heard a locker door slam.

He was so freaking upset. Why couldn't things be normal? Why couldn't he have a normal, boring relationship for once?

Fuming from every angle, he tore through the parking lot at top speed. Hearing Kakashi call his name far behind only made him speed up into what he thought had been clear road. Then he saw the headlights. It was at that point that he knew he fucked up.

"Iruka!" A hand yanked his collar back and he went flying back into the person who was panting and wheezing. Looking up, he saw Kakashi sweating and flushed as he yelled down, "Are you a fucking idiot? A blind god fucking damn idiot?"

"Huh?" Iruka could have sworn Kakashi had been way back at the entrance… The one that was so far from here, looking back at it. "How did you…?"

Hands clasped his face, making him look at the panicked Kakashi in front of him who demanded, "What were you thinking? Were you trying to get yourself killed?"

Searching Iruka for answers, the stunned teen didn't really know what to say except a faint, "I didn't see it coming…"

And Kakashi pulled him into his arms tightly. All the while, Iruka held him back as he truly started to wonder if his boyfriend was real, if the guy could really run over twenty meters in two seconds.

"Kakashi, we need to talk."

Uneasily, Kakashi stiffly sat down on a fallen tree in the woods behind Iruka's house. Iruka's uncle would be home and if Kakashi couldn't say anything to Iruka normally, he sure as heck wouldn't talk in front of an adult he definitely wasn't dating. All the while, Iruka studied him and tried to find any detail that would solidify his doubts or help him understand what was going on. Iruka was probably still in shock from almost getting run over by a car but now felt the only chance he had before Kakashi ran off again and avoided him.

While Kakashi sat, Iruka stood, pacing as he tried to formulate words. Eventually, he got up the nerve and straight up asked, "What's going on?"

"I…" Kakashi frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Like, what's with the avoiding me?" Iruka tried to keep himself calm even as Kakashi took a deep breath, looking like he was deciding something.

"I've been busy."

"Bullshit."

"My family's been cleaning the house and-"

"Oh, come on, Kakashi," Iruka interrupted his excuses, holding back the urge to yell. "Fine, then what's with the letters?"

Kakashi snapped his head up. "What letters?"

"The ones that keep showing up out of nowhere. You know the ones." Iruka watched Kakashi sigh and reach into his backpack. Another white, pristine letter was pulled out and held in the air, unopened and white like a happy birthday card but without the happy or the birthday.

"You mean ones like these? The ones you weren't supposed to look at," Kakashi asked pointedly but Iruka snapped back.

"Oh, so I'm just supposed to ignore my boyfriend getting cryptic letters in the mail?"

"Fine, you want to know what these are?" Kakashi waved the letter, frustration building. "These are letters from my ex. We dated a few years ago and he went psycho when I moved to Konoha. Now, he's threatening to come find me and kill me unless I take him back."

"Oh." Was all Iruka could say, still confused by the whole incident with the blood and just that day. If Kakashi wasn't a vampire then...

"We're moving."

The air went deadly quiet, Iruka frozen on the spot and Kakashi looking down at the mossy ground in a way that told Iruka he wasn't lying anymore.

"Moving?" Was all he could muster and Kakashi stood, pacing as Iruka had before but now couldn't.

"My parents are getting a divorce. They got jobs in the city and only told me a few days ago. That's why I snuck into your room the other night I…" He cut himself off with a sigh. "I was being selfish. I at least wanted to give you a few good memories before."

They were quiet for a long time, unsure of what to say or do with each other except stand there as Iruka tried to process what was going on.

"So… You're just… Going?"

Kakashi said nothing and Iruka felt his whole body sink, turning inside out in all the wrong ways.

"But you'll come back, right?" He asked, grasping at any straws he could but Kakashi shook his head.

He was stone cold, face unchanged even as he said, "No."

And then he swung around to grab his backpack and shot through the woods, gone in seconds and leaving Iruka confused, hurt and all alone in the cold.

And he stood there, standing until he knees collapsed in on him and he found himself in the freezing cold night with his breath coming out in puffs. He didn't realise he was shaking until he found himself at his own back door, hands shaking to turn the knob. The place was empty and he was alone again even as he flopped down onto the couch. He didn't cry. He couldn't. He was just so cold.

It was only when morning came that he was able to pull himself up. He'd barely slept. He felt like he'd really been hit by that car. He kind of wished he had been, the maybe he wouldn't have to deal with the emotions he couldn't feel but knew were there.

He trudged up to his room at some point and felt tears welling up, immediately going back downstairs and flying out of the house. He didn't really know where he was going or where he was walking to until he turned onto a dirt path, the one that led up to Kakashi's home. He'd been in it a few times, usually when people weren't home. Determined to confront Kakashi, he hurried up the drive until he came up to the home. There were no cars in the driveway. The windows were dark. It looked like no one was home even as Iruka went up to the windows and peered in. Like a vision from a nightmare, he caught glimpses of empty rooms with the occasional box or two strewn about. Even Kakashi's room was bare to the bones. And he felt like Kakashi was gone for good.

Hands shaking, he called their home and it went straight to a voice telling him that number was no longer in service.

His fingers hovered over Kakashi's number but didn't call it. He couldn't. There was nothing stopping except for the cold, uncaring stare Kakashi had given him last night. It was unbearable to think about.

Walking back, he kept moving until his legs hurt and his lungs burned from the cold. Numb from all his extremities, he was about to throw himself back onto the couch and under the covers when he remembered something from yesterday.

It was a long shot; he didn't think it was still there. Kakashi never usually forgot things.

But he had. Behind the fallen tree, stuck in the ground was the letter supposedly from Kakashi's stalker ex. Scrambling, Iruka ripped it open and found what he'd been expecting.

'Last chance. October 31st.'

Today. And the same number was right underneath. So, Iruka called it. He only realised after he heard it ringing that he might be an idiot.

"Hello?" A man answered, voice so deep it made Iruka almost hang up.

"Hi," He said, oddly formal. "I hear you're the stalker."

God, he was an idiot.

There was a deep, slow chuckle. "Let me guess. You must be Iruka."

Oh, knowing his name was not a good sign.

"Yes," Was all he could muster.

"Good, I've been meaning to talk to you. I hear Kakashi has moved. Why don't you save me the time and tell me where he's run off to now."

Iruka let out a nervous huff, "As if he'd tell me that."

"What a pity. Well, I guess I'll just ask him myself."

When Iruka didn't respond, the man continued, "If you want, you can always come and join us."

Iruka couldn't speak and the phone went dead, the line hung up.

He didn't really have to think hard to know what was going on. Kakashi was going to confront his psycho ex, the person who'd been stalking him for months now. Either that or they were going to meet up again. Iruka couldn't believe that Kakashi would go there to get back with them.

A ping on his phone had him glancing down at where he'd thrown it and he saw the text he got as clear as day. An address.

Iruka probably shouldn't have looked up where the place was. Now, he knew it was a high school hours away by car. By plane, two hours.

Iruka shouldn't have bought a ticket.

He should have stayed home and felt sorry for himself but his worry was too strong. He knew that it might all have been lies. They might have just told him that so they could beg Iruka in person. Or worse. Iruka was banking on worse. But he felt worse anyway. This and Kakashi's phone number were all he had.

Feeling like there was no going back once he'd bought the ticket, he did something stupid again and called Kakashi's number, immediately regretting it and almost hanging up but he got voicemail anyway.

"Hey, um, just checking to make sure you're okay," His voice cracked and he pulled himself back together. "Please, just… Don't meet him."

And then he hung up, staring at his phone before realising he had a fight in a few hours.

Throwing the bare necessities into his bag, he flew out the door and into the car. The drive to the airport was nerve racking up at least he'd been doing something. Stuck in the tiny seat of a plane, he wondered why he was doing any of this and was faced with the reality of everything. It was only once he landed and he got a signal again that his phone pinged in rapid fire.

An incoming message told him he'd missed a call. From Kakashi. No voicemail at all though. No texts.

Shoving his phone into his back pocket, he ignored what he knew would be pleas to stay home and tons of questions. If Kakashi couldn't leave him a simple voicemail or text then there was no speaking to him.

He instead found himself in front of a school late that night, the streetlamps his only source of light as he slid around back. He found that a window had been deliberately left open on the first floor. Of course, it was about a head or two taller than him and Iruka had to struggle to get up there but it wasn't like anyone else was around to see him squirm.

Walking through the dark, moonlit halls, he listened for sounds that would point him in the right direction. Eventually he found his way to the gym, open and empty for the whole to walk through and he knew he was at the right place.

He knew he was a dumbass for doing this when he moved through the doors and they slammed back on him. Instead of there being just one person though, Iruka found himself staring at two. One had long dark hair and was around Iruka's height but the other was very intimidatingly tall with his blue dyed hair stretching up even taller.

"Hi," He greeted nervously but they just smiled back as they leaned against the doors, blocking the only way out.

"Ah, we finally meet," A voice boomed, the deep one from the phone and Iruka came face to face with Kakashi's ex, a guy with bright orange hair covered with piercings and surrounded by an assortment of other guys who looked just as menacing. They simply looked dangerous. And Iruka now knew why Kakashi called the man psycho, looking at the gang of guy who had him surrounded.

"If you're wondering where Kakashi is," Iruka started as a man with many scars stepped uneasily closer. "You're wasting your time with me because I'm in the same boat you are."

"I brought you here to kill you." Though the words he said were heavy, the ex said them as if he was ordering coffee.

"Oh," Iruka could only say before he felt himself yanked back by his backpack. Hitting the ground hard, he groaned and saw the blurry vision of another pale man with dark hair pointing a phone right in his face before pulling back to film from afar. Replacing him, the pierced, orange haired ex knelt over him and pulled a knife.

"The last few in your position lasted about thirty seconds before they started screaming for mercy. They're all dead now so I wouldn't ask them for tips."

"Damn," Iruka managed, feeling numb on the inside and out anyway. "I was gonna ask how they didn't throw up from looking at all your ugly mugs."

As he was yanked up and slammed into the ground, he could only laugh and that only seemed to make him madder.

"Fuck you," Was all he heard through his laughs before a foot slammed into his slide like he was a football. In seconds, all he could feel was pain and limbs hitting him. At some point, he felt something crack and almost blacked out from the pain. The next second, something else snapped and he fully fell into unconsciousness.

Everything came back blurry and foggy but he recognised the lens of a phone recording him. They were filming all of it, saving it for later. So that they could send it to Kakashi, Iruka realised. They were trying to film his death to show to the man he loved and he had enough. He wasn't going to take this sitting down but burning hair came into view again.

He'd never given much thought to how he would die - though he'd had reason enough in the last few months - but even if he had, he would not have imagined it like this.

He'd never imagined his last breaths would be pained and wheezing as air struggled to pass through his lungs.

The man looked down at him with a smirk, eyes greedy for more of his pain. Even in the place where rage would have bubbled up, he couldn't help but reflect the smile hovering above. He'd made this decision on his own. This was all of his own doing and he couldn't regret a single thing. He was happy to be laying in a pool of his own blood because it was so much better than the alternative.

And he spit.

He saw the flinch. He saw the streak of his own blood and spit left behind and laughter bubbled up again as he chuckled out, "Fuck you back."

A punch sent him back into the blurry world and he only barely heard a loud yell. It was as if someone were on a megaphone but he didn't have the strength to move or even try to decipher what was going on even when he started hearing gunshots. He just let himself drift off into sweet bliss. Sure, he was in pain. But if he just closed his eyes, he couldn't feel it anymore.

But hands started touching him and it hurt. It hurt a lot. Through the haze, he felt himself being handled onto a soft surface and he groaned. The pain was blasting through his arm and ribs as they started to move him. Flashes of the dark halls passed by in a whirl and he was suddenly in a bright, sterile environment. Blacking out again, he didn't come back until he heard a voice calling his name. It was familiar, warm and pleading. It sounded like they were really sad and Iruka didn't want them to be sad anymore.

"Please, Iruka," They were saying and Iruka managed to crack open an eye. Still the same white above and he felt everything rocking. But the best part was the pale, shining man above him. The only part that hurt was that they were sad, eyes full of tears and voice cracking as he whispered, "Please, everything's going to be fine but you need to stay here, okay?"

"Mmm," Iruka managed through all the pain as numbness started to take over. He slurred, "Wherr woul I evhen go?"

That made the beautiful man with the cute beauty mark smile and Iruka felt complete.

He didn't realise he'd blacked out until he woke up, truly conscious in a hospital bed, arm in a cast and tons of needles running through his body. For a second, he almost panicked but then we saw long legs and a dark hoodie somehow draped over a chair in the corner, snoring softly despite the dark circles.

"You're an idiot," He heard faintly from across the room as a dark eye cracked open. He watched as Kakashi stretched himself out for a second before leaning on his knees, cold like he had been in the forest. Iruka wanted to cry. It was like nothing had happened and Kakashi worrying over him had been a dream. Maybe he'd been wrong this whole time. The way Kakashi looked at him had him questioning everything they were and if his feelings weren't ever reciprocated in the first place.

"I know," Was all he could say back as a tear fell down his cheek. "You can leave now. I'm alive."

"Iruka, what are you talking about?" He stood but Iruka couldn't bear to look at him anymore.

"I know I'm dumb but if you want to leave again, you can," He knew he wasn't making any sense; he didn't feel like anything made sense anymore.

"Iruka," This time, his name was said softly as if it were fragile and he looked up when Kakashi sat on the edge of the bed. He could see through the tears in his eyes how Kakashi had warmed up, smiling sadly as he murmured, "I went to go live with my dad because I thought that would keep you safe. And then I find out you jumped into the middle of everything."

"Well, when you say it like that," Iruka joked shyly and felt a pair of lips press against the one cheek that didn't have bruises on it.

"You're such an idiot," Kakashi muttered as he faintly rested his head on Iruka's and Iruka let him, feeling warm and at home.

When Iruka did finally go home, Kakashi made sure to stay over for a few days until Iruka's uncle was due to come home from a business trip. It was a dream to watch Kakashi cook for him and Iruka felt like he was soon going to wake up and find Kakashi gone. But even after he left, he still stayed in Konoha, using his parent's empty home after guilt tripping them to let him stay.

After a few weeks, Iruka could finally come back to school and they would walk home through the forest together like they always had. This time, Kakashi would intentionally hold Iruka's hand, even if it was in a cast.

"I can't believe I still haven't met your uncle," Kakashi was saying one day as they trekked back home through the forests and cloudy skies above.

"Yeah, I've barely seen him at all either," Iruka shrugged.

"Maybe I should come over and make you both supper one night," Kakashi grinned but Iruka wasn't smiling, face serious.

"We'll see. Anyway, how'd the talk with the police go?"

"They ran over my story again and they're calling it case closed. Not much they could do after they shot them all down." Kakashi watched his boyfriend walk ahead of him, feeling like something wasn't being said. It felt like Iruka was acting odd to him. "They were surprised you weren't dead by the time they got there actually. Getting beat up by almost a dozen guys should've killed you in minutes."

"Yeah," Was all Iruka said and Kakashi slowly his pace, suspicion starting to bubble up.

He'd noticed all the signs that something wasn't right. He'd been blinded by love at first and couldn't see them but now that he did, he didn't know what to do. What were you supposed to say when your boyfriend sometimes acts like his arm isn't broken or his cast isn't there? That his bruises had faded so quickly? That he seemed completely alright after two weeks?

"Hey, Kakashi, I need to tell you something." Iruka suddenly said and Kakashi almost slipped on a log in shock.

"Yes?" Kakashi asked uncertainly as he steadied himself.

"I…" Iruka trailed off mid sentence and Kakashi watched as he closed his eyes, breathing in deeply for a second. "I think you cut yourself."

At that, Kakashi realised his ankle and pulled up his tight jeans to find a scape, dripping blood only the slightest. "Huh, I am."

Looking back up, he noticed how Iruka's chest was heaving, eyes still screwed shut in concentration.

"Iruka?"

His boyfriend opened his eyes, pupils dilated and irises burning a deep crimson as he muttered, "You smell delicious."

* * *

_**Midnight Sun**_

* * *

Hope you guys liked this one! Don't forget to check out all the other amazing pieces in the #KakaIruWeek2019 tag!


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